With my newfound — albeit temporary — freedom of having both kids in school full day, I have been sort of rediscovering what I like to do. Turns out, the thing I like to do most is nap, which was illustrated in the extreme nap schedule I adopted last month. Today, on my way home from turning in a late library book about Legos, I decided to walk about downtown Edmonds, alone. It was nothing short of magic to walk around stores with breakables and only worry that I might break them. I was taken back to the early days of new motherhood on my trip through the shops. The days when you aren’t really sure what to do and you wonder if the stroller fits into the shops or if the baby would be magically hungry as soon as you had them and all of their belongings packed into the stroller. I know I have been on a big “I Heart Edmonds” jag lately, but everything I am going to tell you about today is from a sign/flier on a store I passed in downtown Edmonds.

My first stop was Art Spot, 408 Main St. I noticed from the schedule they have posted in their window that they hold classes on Non-Student Days in the Edmonds School District, the next being Friday, May 16. Drawing and Painting with Mona Fairbanks will be held from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. on May 16. The three-hour class for kids ages 7 to 12 is $40 and all supplies are included. When I walked into the store, there was a list of summer camps posted by the register. Each camp is a three-day week from noon to 3 p.m. and all 10 weeks have a different theme. Themes range from Fashion Design, to Davinci, to Steampunk, to Wordwork. You can find the entire list of camps, for kids ages 7 to 12, HERE. You register for classes by calling Art Spot at 425-640-6408 or online at ArtSpotEdmonds.com.

I walked through The Papery, which has some cute Mother’s Day gift ideas and cards. On my way back from The Wooden Spoon Kitchen Shop I noticed all the fliers posted outside the Kinderbritches entrance, the one on 5th. I will start with Kidz Love Soccer, which is soccer classes for kids ages 2 and up. I highly recommend it. While they are currently mid-session, Kids Love Soccer runs through the summer and the next session starts on June 7 and meets at the Civic Center Playfield at 6th and Edmonds. You can register by calling Edmonds Parks and Recreation at 425-771-0230 or online at reczone.org

I also saw a flier for a MOPS group at Westgate Chapel, 22901 Edmonds Way, Edmonds. As it turns out, and I had to Google it to confirm, MOPS stands for Mothers Of Preschoolers. This is a group where you can talk, hear speakers and do crafts, all while the kids are being watched by fellow MOPS. I loved this quote on MOPS.org, “we connect moms all over the world to a community of women, in their own neighborhoods, who meet together to laugh, cry and embrace the journey of motherhood.” I mean, who doesn’t want that? I reached out to the Westgate MOPS and while their current session is about to end, they will register for fall at the end of May and will be releasing a summer playdate schedule soon. I will share it with all of you when it is released. On Friday, May 9, MOPS is holding a Mom and Tots Open Gym at Westgate Chapel from 10 a.m. to noon. There is no need to be a current member to attend this event held monthly from October through May. You can learn more about this MOPS group here or by emailing westgatemops@gmail.com.

The last flier I saw was from the Edmonds Library. This Saturday, May 10 at noon there is a “Fairy and Elf Festival.” Show up at the library, 650 Main St., dressed up “as a fairy, an elf or your favorite wild thing!” Kids will then march in a parade from the library to the Edmonds Farmers Market and Kids Plant for Moms Day. Even if you don’t go to the festival at the library, you can head to 5th and Bell for Kids Plant for Mom’s Day between 9 a.m. to 2 p.m.. Edmonds in Bloom volunteers will help kids create a potted gift for their Mom. Taking the kids off Mom’s hands to a dress-up even that ends with making a Mother’s Day gift is, as one of my favorite Edmonds Moms would say, “money in the bank.”

There is something for everyone as all these amazing options are for kids of different ages, some events are free, and they are all close to home and full of parents right in the thick of it too!

– By Jennifer Marx

Jen Marx, an Edmonds Mom of two young boys, is a traffic reporter by dawn and writer and PBJ maker by day. She is always looking for a fun place to take the kids that makes them tired enough to go to bed on time. You can find her trying to make sense of begging kids to ” just eat the mac n cheese” at SnackMomSyndrome.com. If you have a kid-friendly event you’d like to share, email her at play@myedmondsnews.com.

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